The present invention relates to a device for packaging products, in particular sliced bread, in bags, at least comprising feed and discharge means for the products to be packaged, a scoop assembly which is principally perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the products by the device and which can be driven in a reciprocating movement, said scoop assembly comprising a lower and an upper scoop, which scoops can be moved relative to each other, in which the device, during operation, can bring a bag over a product placed on the lower scoop, by means of displacement of the scoop assembly, while said product is blocked.
Such a device is known from the Dutch specification laid open for inspection 9200716, in the name of the Applicant. In the device described therein, the scoop assembly moves perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the breads to be packaged, in a bag which is held open. As a result of the scoops of the scoop assembly moving apart, the bag is stretched around the scoops. Approximately simultaneously, the bread fed by the feed means is brought onto the portion, located at the rear, of the bearing surface of the lower scoop. As a result of the return movement of the scoop assembly and the simultaneous blocking of the bread by a separate blockade component, the bag is drawn over the bread while the bread remains essentially in the same place. After the bag has been placed over the bread, the bread is discharged by the discharge means.
While the bag is being placed over the bread, and in particular while the scoop assembly is being returned, it appears that, in approximately 1% of the breads, the crust of the bread and, in some cases, also one or more individual slices of bread at the end, fall over. When this happens, the packaging process has to be stopped and the slices of bread which have fallen down are labelled as waste. This concerns the crust and the individual slices of the bread near the end of the scoop; the other end of the bread is blocked by a blockade component. Hitherto, attempts have been made to solve this problem by placing air flow nozzles in the upper scoop, which nozzles blow a flow of air against the bread. Such air flow nozzles in the upper scoop do not, however, appear to be fully effective. A separate slice of bread which is liable to fall over will in most cases not be held by the air flow nozzles in the upper scoop. When a falling crust has reached an angle of more than approximately 20.degree. with respect to an upright slice of bread, the air flow from the air flow nozzles will no longer blow on the outside against the crust of the bread but will blow between the crust and the upright slice of bread, with the result that the crust actually falls over more quickly.